Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley bustling 4th Street retail area doesn't really have an ocean view, but it have a fantastic apple souffle that Chris almost always orders.  We visited last weekend and the apple souffle is as good as ever.

Last August, I wrote about Chris' yarn purchases for a scarf.  Well she finished it and gave it to me.  Soft, warm, nice colors and one of a kind. Lucky me!

I love apple pies, apple turnovers, chausson aux pommes, tart tartins, and apple galettes -- anything with baked apples and a buttery crust.  Chris made two beautiful apple galettes recently and I decided this combination has the perfect ratio of crust to apples.  The single layer of apples seems to cook to just the right degree of doneness just as the crust is browned and flakey.   

A technique she just learned to get a nicely browned crust -- pre-heat a cookie sheet in the oven until hot and set the galette pan on top of the hot cookie sheet. 

Hard to beat Poilane Bakery's Tart Tartin in Paris, but Chris' comes close.  Tart Tartin is a French relative of the traditional American apple pie.  A lot of great recipes don't have too many ingredients.  Instead they depend on the quality of the ingredients and the technique.  This is one.  Our family has a long tradition of making apple pies starting from my father, who worked in restaurants as a kid and young man.  I made them for a while, but not any more. 

The tradition is now carried on by his daughter-in-law Chris.  Did I tell you that Chris makes a great apple pie?